Excuses
by xxHeartBrokenxx
Summary: Emma's back and she and Bella don't exactly get along. Cleo suggests a group vacation for all of them. During this little excursion Will tries to figure out who the "someone" is keeping him from liking Bella. Could it possibly be no one other than Rikki?
1. Welcome to Paradise!

**A/N: I decided to try my hand at writing a Wikki fanfic! What do you think? I really don't know how this is going to end, it could be a total fail. I kinda hate Will, but I decided to write this anyway. Really, it's up to you guys if I continue it or not! If all off you think it's a fail, then I won't put anymore of it up. So please review and let me know! I'm not reading this through for mistakes, so please excuse any when you come across them. Have a nice day, and if it happens to be your birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! xxHeartBrokenxx**

Rikki's POV

"Rikki, could you grab my bag?" Bella called to me from the door of our side of the vacation house. Emma had come back, and let's just say her and Bella weren't real fond of each other. Cleo had suggested a group vacation to try to get them to bond, and not hate each other. The boys, Zane, Lewis, Ash, and Will had tagged along. We got a house that could be split into two sides. Well, you shut double doors on the first and third levels, and close the sides off from each other. It was boys on one side, girls on the other. Us girls got the left side.

I grabbed Bella's bag out of the car and headed towards the door. "Thanks," she smiled, taking it from me.

"Oh, it's so nice to be out of the car!" Cleo said, dropping into an armchair.

"It's not like we've been in there all that long, we had to stop every hour for you to use the bathroom," I said.

"It wasn't _every _hour!" she said defensively.

"Close to it."

"Well excuse me for having a small blatter!"

"Whatever," I laughed. "What do you guys say we check out the house?"

The first level had a couch, two armchairs, a TV, a pool table, a mini kitchen, a half bathroom, and a door leading outside to the back, where there was a pool and a hot tub. We picked up our bags and went up to the second level.

Three bedrooms, a washer, and a drier. Me and Bella got our own rooms and Emma and Cleo were sharing one with two twin beds. Each bedroom had it's own master bathroom. I claimed the one with a balcony facing the back, and the ocean. There was door right near the stairs to a little balcony facing the front, the boys had one just like it on their side.

We set our things in out room and ran up to the third level. A kitchen, a couch, a TV and DVD player, a table, and that was about it. We walked out onto the balcony and saw it was one big one. We walked over to the door on the boys side and opened it.

"Finished exploring your side?" Zane asked me as we walked in.

"Yeah. Have you guys?" I asked.

"Mm-hm."

"Mind giving us a tour?" Cleo asked.

"Not at all," Lewis said walking up and putting his arm around her. I looked around the top floor as we made out way to the stairs. Very similar to ours, yet a little more depressing. It wasn't as bright.

Each boy got their own bedroom, and each one had it's own master bathroom.

"Who gets the room with the balcony?" I asked. No one seemed to have heard me, because no one answered. We went down to the first level and looked around. A couch, two armchairs, a TV, mini kitchen, and a foosball table.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing to a pair of French doors with the curtains closed from the inside.

"Oh, you're never gonna believe this!" Will said, eyes sparkling. He lead us over to the doors, all the boys with huge smiles on their faces. I gasped as we walked in.

"A party room!" I said, disbelievingly. My mouth dropped open in shock as I looked around the room.

A bar, an arcade game, been bag chairs, a few little tables, a stereo system, and a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. The floor had colored tiles.

"Let me guess, the floor lights up, too?" I said. They all looked at me.

"How did you know?"

"It seriously lights up?" I said. "Dang it! This room is amazing! Why did you guys get this side?"

"Well I know what we're doing tonight," Cleo said, looking around in shock.

After we all got settled in Cleo said she was going to the store to get food. Surprisingly the boys said they wanted to come and we all got into the cars.


	2. Shopping

**A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry it's been so foreverly long since I've updated. What can I say? I lost my fire for it for a while. I wrote this chapter a long time ago, so it probably sucks. Sorry about that. And when you come across mistakes please ignore them, I didn't read through this first. Thanks! Please review! Oh, and I wrote chapter 3 a while ago so it probably sucks too, but I'm writing chapter 4 right now, and I personally think it's better! Hopefully it will be up soon! Have a nice a day and thanks for reading! xxHeartBrokenxx**

Emma's POV

The boys grabbed their own cart and headed off as we walked into the grocery store.

"Where are you guys going?" Rikki called after them.

"To get stuff!" Zane called back, and they disappeared as they turned into an aisle.

"I remember this one time," Bella started. "when I was little, where I was at the store with my mom, and I stepped on the front of the cart to ride on it, and it flipped. Everything in it went flying down the aisle."

I looked at her in dislike. The truth was, I felt threatened by her. I felt like Rikki and Cleo had replaced me with her while I was gone. I mean, what were the chances of meeting another mermaid? _Was_ there enough room for four? And if there wasn't, who would go, me or Bella?

"My lip was bleeding, everyone was staring, and a worker had to come help us clean it up," she continued as Cleo and Rikki laughed.

Did they like her better than me? Would they choose her to stay because she was someone new and fresh? I knew I was being touchy and overly dramatic, but I couldn't help it. I mean, look how well the boys accepted Will into their circle, how come me and Bella couldn't do that? As we strolled along, dropping food into the cart, I wondered, was Bella threatened by me, too?

"You guys," Cleo said, amused, as the boys walked past us, their cart filled with soda, chips, and junk food. "Do you have anything healthy in there?"

"Um, no! What's the fun of that?" Zane said. We laughed as they kept going, dropping hot wings into their cart.

Bella's POV

I looked at Emma as she laughed. She was Cleo and Rikki's old friend. The one they had always talked about. It wasn't necessarily that that I didn't like her, I just felt threatened by her. If one of us had to go, chances are it would be me. I mean, what's a new friend to an old one? I couldn't help but be icy with her.

"Did you find everything okay today?" the cashier asked us we put our items up for her to scan.

"Yeah, thank you," Cleo said. The boys turned into our line and started putting their things on the conveyer belt.

Zane and Lewis grabbed packs of gum and dropped them on along with everything else.

"You guys are going to rot your teeth out," Emma said, looking over everything the boys had bought as we were unpacking it all back at the house. Most of the food was going on our side.

"Yeah, well, a lot of it is going down to the party room," Zane said, grabbing those things. "Will, a little help."

Will walked over and started getting everything else that went down. He picked up a heavy bag of their treats and him and Zane started down the stairs.

After they had walked down I heard a lot of stuff falling onto the floor and Zane laughing.

"Dang it!" Will said laughing.

"Real smooth," Zane said. "Pick it up and bring it downstairs."

Rikki's POV

I walked up the stairs of the boys side to see Will kneeling on the floor picking up groceries, with a ripped bag laying next to him.

"Need help?" I said, laughing and kneeling next to him.

"Thanks," he said smiling. We picked up all the food and walked down to the party room. We set it all down at the bar.

"Stocking this place up nice," I said.

Will's POV

I looked at all Rikki and Zane as we all walked to the beach. They were holding hands, looking happy. Then I looked at Bella and she smiled at me. I smiled back. I liked Bella, she was cool. But there was voice in the back of my head, always nagging at me: There was someone else. But who? Who was it that was always in the back of my head, keeping me from like liking Bella?

I sighed, I hadn't really ever thought about it. Because I _wanted to like Bella, but I didn't. We got to the empty beach, and headed towards the water. You couldn't keep mermaids from the ocean. We went out pretty far, the girls tails flicking around us. _

"_Show off," Zane said playfully, splashing Rikki. She laughed girlishly. They were so happy together._


	3. The Balcony

**A/N: I didn't read through this one either, so please excuse the mistakes you come across. Thanks for reading. Review maybe? Only if it suits your fancy though. I'm sorry, but I just love that expression! Have a great day! xxHeartBrokenxx**

Rikki's POV

I stepped out onto the balcony connected to my room. We were done partying, and I needed some fresh air. I looked at the balcony next to mine and once again wondered who it belonged to. I had never asked again who's room it was.

I sighed and closed my eyes. I opened them when I heard a door open. I looked around saw Will walking out onto the balcony next to mine.

"So it's your room, huh?" I said.

"Yeah. I claimed it before anyone else could," he smiled. I smiled back, and we kept talking for a few more minutes.

"What are you doing?" I asked, as he climbed up onto the railing.

"Coming over," he said. His muscles flexed as he grabbed the bottom of the top balcony and climbed over to mine. We sat down across from each other.

"Rikki," he said. "does Zane make you happy?"

"Yes," I said smiling.

"Rikki, do you think Bella likes me?" he asked seriously and a little hesitantly.

"Well," I said. "I- I can't disclose that information. Do you like Bella?"

He sighed, frustrated. "I don't know, do I? I want to, but there's something keeping me from it."

"And what would that be?" I asked.

"I don't know. Someone. Someone who's always in my head, always in the back of my head, keeping me from Bella."

"And who would that be?" I asked cautiously. "I can't answer that question any better than you can. I honestly have no idea," he said.

"No idea? At all?" I said. He shook his head. "That must be tough."

"It is. I mean, I just wish I knew who it was," he said. We talked for a while longer, till I looked at my watch and saw that it was one o'clock in the morning, and told him we should get some sleep.

"Goodnight," I said, standing up.

"Goodnight," he said. I could tell he was still trying to figure the someone out. I looked at him for another moment, kissed him on the cheek, and walked back into my room.

Will's POV

I put my fingers to my cheek as Rikki walked back into her bedroom. My cheek was tingling, and my stomach was doing back flips. I climbed back over to my balcony and walked back into my room.

I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes, thinking about the kiss Rikki just given me and the someone. My eyes flew open as I realized who the person keeping me from liking Bella was. The person who was always in my mind. As it dawned on me I whispered one name into the night,

"Rikki."


	4. Morning people and combs

**A/N: Here it is! I hope you guys like it! Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks! And please excuse any mistakes. Now I really MUST dash, because I'm getting up at 5 tomorrow morning! Have a good night! xxHeartBrokenxx**

Will's POV

So, when I woke up the next morning, remembering all the discoveries made last night, I started pacing my room.

Rikki. Me. Feelings. All those words translated into one thing in my head: I'm dead. I'm so incredibly dead it's incomprehensible. I mean, Zane was _really_ in love with Rikki. If he found out, that meant one thing, I was literally a dead man.

Okay, so step one, NO ONE could know. It was my little-HUGE-secret.

I composed myself and stepped out, heading up the stairs.

No one on our side, but I heard some clanking going on on the girls side. I opened the connecting door and stepped over.

Where was everyone? Or, whoever had been making the noise. As I stepped around the couch Rikki popped up from behind the counter top.

"Good morning!" she said cheerfully.

I was so surprised, shocked, startled…panicked at who it was I managed to yell out a profanity, jumping back and flipping over the back of the couch.

I hit the floor on the other side with a thud. I looked up and looked Rikki in the eye. After a moment of silence Rikki shoved her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles. I stood up and smiled.

"So you're a morning person. I never would have guessed. Honestly," I said, walking over to get some OJ.

She just smiled. The quiet type.

"And what are you?" she asked I accidentally spilled some of my juice on the floor.

"What am I what?" I asked.

"Morning or night person?"

"I don't know. After this vacation is over, you tell me."

"Good morning beautiful," Zane said groggily, coming through the door.

"Aw, Zane, you're embarrassing me," I said. "But, I _am_ pretty handsome, huh?"

Rikki giggled and Zane looked a little irritated.

"Zane, watch ou-!" I started say, as he slipped in the spilled juice.

"Alright, who spilled it?" he said from the floor, bad tempered.

"Um…Lewis did," I said, raising my eyebrows like, "what do you think about that?"

Rikki laughed again and helped Zane up.

Before I could really explain to him what happened, Lewis, that poor soul, walked up through the door at that precise moment.

"Mornin'. Everyone sleep well? Zane, why you all wet?" he said, dropping onto the couch and turning on the TV.

Zane's nostrils flared.

He grabbed the jug of OJ and walked up behind Lewis, and poured some of its contents out on his head.

"What the crap man?" Lewis explained, jumping up.

After a moment the silence was broken by me and Rikki breaking into laughter.

"Well, I guess _you're_ not a morning person!" Lewis said to him.

"I spilled it, dude!" I laughed.

Zane turned and looked at me angrily. "You buttfart!"

"Buttfart? Oh, that's a new one," I said.

"You guys are making so much noise!" Emma said grumpily, as her and Cleo came up the stairs.

I little later I was on the top floor balcony all by myself, minding my own business, when I heard the door slide open.

"Oh, Will," Rikki said, her hand on the back of her head. "Could help me?"

"Yeah! With what?" I said, a little _too eagerly._

"_I got the comb stuck in my hair," she said, turning around so I could see. _

"_Oh, wow," I said, stepping closer. "This might hurt a little bit."_

"_Okay," she said. "Just, do it as quick as you can."_

_I bent a little closer to try to see if I could make it any less painful and got a whiff of her hair._

"_Your hair smells good," I blurted out before I could stop myself._

"_Thanks," she said, embarrassed._

"_Um, uh, yeah," I said, and set to work trying to get the comb out. _

_I'd occasionally hear her say ow, and then I'd apologize and try to be gentler._

"_There," I said after quite a few minutes._

"_It's out?" she said, obviously relieved. _

"_Yeah," I said. "That little sucker was in there good."_

_Rikki's POV_

"_Thanks Will," I said, and walked back inside._

_That was, um, well, I can't find the exact word I'm looking for here. Good, maybe? But, no! No! That's ridiculous. I mean, Will's just a friend. How about I go find Zane? Or somebody to take my mind off that. Will and I had never had a moment like that. The tension was unusually high._

_I walked down the stairs, returned the comb to my bathroom then knocked on Cleo and Emma's door. _

"_Hey Rikki," Emma said, opening it._

"_What's wrong?" I asked._

"_Oh, nothing's wrong," Emma said, but I could tell something was wrong. She was using her mad voice._

"_Something is," I said. "Come on, spill."_

"_Is there enough room for four?" she said angrily. "I mean, what are the chances you guys would meet another mermaid? Was I not supposed to come back or something? I might as well just face it now; I've been replaced."_

_I rolled my eyes. "Emma, we didn't replace you. Do you even know how happy me and Cleo were when we found out you were coming back? I was about bouncing off the walls. And you know me; how often does that really happen?"_

"_Really?" she said, a resentful smile forming on her lips._

"_Really," I said. "Of course there's enough room for four. And if you get to know Bella you'll see that she's really nice. Just do it for me. You could never be replaced. Trust me."_

"_Thanks Rikki," she smiled, giving me a hug. _

"_You're welcome," I laughed. "So where is everybody?"_

"_I don't know," she said. "But how's Will? I mean, what's he like?"_

_At that I sort of just panicked for no apparent reason. _

"_Not your type AT ALL!" I exclaimed. "I mean, wow, you guys just wouldn't get along like THAT."_

_She looked at me curiously. "I never said I was interested. Do you know someone who is or something?"_

"_I, um, I," I stammered nervously._


	5. Zane's onto something

**A/N:Paradox Tremors, thanks so much for all the nice reviews! It means a lot, dude! Thank you! Anyways, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Sorry it's kind of short. I hope the next chapter is better, but I'm not going to make any promises. I'll try, though. Please, please, please review and tell me if this is horrible. Thanks! Have a good day! Oh, and please excuse any mistakes! xxHeartBrokenxx**

Rikki's POV

"Not that I know of," I said, acting chill.

And then, speak of the devil; Will appeared in the doorway, knocking on the doorframe.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting," he said. "but do you girls know where everyone else is?"

I looked at Emma.

"Out by the pool? I don't know. Sorry," she said. "I'll help you find them though. Coming Rikki?" she finished, standing up and walking to the door.

"Yep," I said.

I was walking in front of Will, my head only up to his chin. I could hear him breathing nervously right behind me; I could feel his breath on my head.

I was about to say something about it, but my words got caught in my throat.

How weird. Why was I so nervous around Will this morning?

Will's POV

I stared across the table at Rikki as she looked at her menu.

We had gone to lunch, and everyone was preoccupied figuring out what they were going to order, so I took the time to sneak a look at Rikki.

It may sound a little creepy, but trust me; it's not. It's the same as staring at your crush across the hall, or classroom, or whatever.

Boy was she pretty.

Okay, you know what, I just needed to stop. This wasn't acceptable. I was supposed to like _Bella_; not Rikki.

And one more obstacle was Zane. Ah yes; Zane. Possibly the pit of all my problems.

Okay, now I was just being bitter.

Rikki was happy with Zane; so shouldn't I be happy for her? Obviously I wasn't happy fro myself, but I should be happy for Rikki.

I mean, how often is it that you find a really good relationship? And who knew? Maybe one day they'd….get married. Ouch. A dollar for every ounce of pain _that_ thought cost me and you'd at least have a hundred.

As she started to look up I darted my eyes down to the menu so that she wouldn't know I was looking at her.

THAT would have been embarrassing!

Zane's POV

I watched Will mawkishly(bland or unappetizing) as he stared at Rikki across the table.

Well, something would have to be done about that. Just when I was starting to think maybe he wasn't that bad.

Oh, well. You gotta do what you gotta do, right? And when someone has the hots for your girl, well, you gotta beat the crap out of them.

THAT should get the message across.

But, what was really bothering me was: What if Rikki liked him too?

Normally I'm not insecure, but when it came to Rikki, I _was. _I didn't want to lose her. And if anyone threatened to steal her, I got VERY protective.

She was my other half.

I think.


	6. A Lot of Staring

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated! First I was lazy, then I lost my computer charger, then I had to rewrite the chapter because I didn't like it. Thanks for being so patient! I hope you like it, and please review! Also, please excuse any mistake. Have a great day with a cherry on top! That is, if you like cherries. xxHeartBrokenxx**

Emma's POV

I stood upstairs in the kitchen that night, just staring into space thinking of nothing in particular.

"Hey Emma," Bella said as she walked in.

I straighten up against the counter and nod in hello. She sighs and looks at me for a minute.

"Why don't you like me? I never did anything to you!" she says, throwing her hands into the air.

I laugh bitterly. "Never did anything? No, of course now, you only stole my spot in the group! Oh, yeah, and of course Will came in to take Ash's place so you could have a little romance. I wasn't gone THAT long!"

"What are you talking about? Do you think you'd be here if I had taken your place in the group?" she raised her voice. "I didn't take anything from you!"

"Yeah, sure you didn't."

"You know what; I'm done trying to make friends with you. You want to hate me? Fine. Hate me. I don't care anymore," she swept down the stairs in a huff.

I crossed my arms across my chest and looked after her.

She had taken my place. She had taken my friends. No way was I going to befriend her! I didn't care if Rikki and Cleo wanted me to. If they really loved me, they would give Bella the boot. In addition, maybe, just maybe, I will tell them that.

So the next day I did just that.

I got Cleo and we went into Rikki's room. I stared at them a moment before starting.

"Okay, so obviously there's not enough room for me AND Bella, so I need you guys to pick. Who do you want to be the third addition to this little mermaid group thing we've got going on here?"

They looked at each other in disbelief then back to me.

"Of course there's enough room for both of you! There's not a limit on how many people are allowed to be mermaids!" Cleo exclaimed.

"Really?" I said angrily. "That's what you're going with? If you want it to be Bella, you could have just told me."

"In case you don't remember, Ms. Emma, none of us CHOSE to be like this! None of us made the decision to be mermaids. Now get your head out of your butt and realize that just because Bella is our friend now doesn't mean we don't like you anymore! You're here, aren't you?" Rikki said.

My mouth opened and closed repeatedly. But that's just how she was; she got straight to the point. Told people what they needed to hear.

I looked at her, trying to conceal my hurt. "I- I'm leaving. I'm out of here. I'm so out of here!"

"Emma, wait!" Cleo said.

"No. Let her go, Cleo. If she doesn't want to face reality, then she's right; she shouldn't be here." Rikki gazed at me.

As I walked out to the car the next day, packed and ready to go, Will dashed out behind me.

"Emma, what are you doing?"

"Leaving," I said without turning around from putting my bags into the car.

"Why?"

"Because there's only room for one of us, and I'm the one who got booted." I turned around and saw him looking at me bewildered.

"Wh-what did I do?" he said, putting his hand on his chest.

I made an impatient noise. "Not you! Bella."

"Emma, Bella wants to be your friend. You know she never meant to hurt your feelings in any way."

"She didn't hurt my feelings!" I burst out.

He raised his eyebrows. "Please stay?"

"No."

"Come on, just give it a little longer and you'll see. You and Bella will be great friends."

"No way. It's not like Cleo and Rikki want me here anyway."

He gaped at me. "Are you kidding me? You're joking, right? You're out of your mind if you think they don't care about you. They were always talking about you when you were gone! And I swear I thought they were going to explode from excitement when they heard you were coming back."

"Really?" My voice softened.

He nodded.

"Well, still. It's probably best I leave. Bella and I will never be friends. It just won't happen."

"Not if you don't let it."

I stared at him a moment before grabbing my bags and walking back inside.


	7. A Good Magician

**A/N: First off, THANK YOU GUYS for all the nice reviews! They mean so much to me! I'm really glad you guys like the story! I need to credit my brother for the "Buttfart" insult. But anyways, thanks again! I really hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Please review and I'll try to update again soon. Please excuse any mistakes and have a nice day! xxHeartBrokenxx**

Rikki's POV

I watched as Emma walked back in the door with a less than friendly look on her face, Will smiling proudly behind her.

"Back so soon?" I said, knowing I was making worse but not caring.

Will furrowed his eyebrows. Pursing his lips at me he did the, "Shame, Shame, DJ!" finger thing at me. He stopped as he stood beside me and bumped me.

"How did you do it?" I turned to him once Emma had gone upstairs.

He tilted his head to the side and smirked at me. "A good magician never tells his secrets."

I swear I almost fell backwards. My head got heavy and foggy and I couldn't think straight for a moment. Kinda like when it's someone you really like and you're talking to them and they do this really attractive face at you and then you realize that it's actually happening and you kinda flip out. Or even, when you're talking to your friend about them and your friend is like, "And they'd be like…" and they give you an example and just thinking about it happening makes you kinda flip out. You know what I mean?

I mentally slapped myself back to reality as I realized how ridiculous that was. I mean, it's WILL we're talking about here! And I do NOT like Will.

He squinted his eyes at me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" I trailed off. "I'm, uh…I'm gonna head upstairs." I scratched the back of my head like you do when everything gets awkward and started up.

"Hey, Rikki!" he calls after me when I'm halfway up. I turn around and see him at the bottom.

"Yeah?"

"Um…" He looks down at the ground.

Will's POV

I looked back up at Rikki, saying, "Do you want to go swimming or to the beach or something?"

"Beach sounds fun. I'll go change and meet you out front." With that she walked back up the stairs.

I sighed, throwing my head back and putting my hands over my face. AAHHH! I was gonna tell her. I was about to tell her! It was right there, on the tip of my tongue, "I think I like you." But no. I wimped out. Couldn't do it. But maybe that was for the best.

I got into my swim trunks, grabbed my towel and walked out front. I kicked my feet around until Rikki came out. Then do you know what happened? We walked to the beach.

"No one else wanted to come?" I asked.

"Nope. Zane said he might come down later, though."

"Oh," I said. Of course Zane was coming! Well, yeah, of course. Jeez.

We continued to walk along, chatting about this and that.

"Hey, you wanna race?" she said, looking over at me.

"You know it!" I said enthusiastically. We slipped off our shoes and tore down the street towards the beach.

"I…WIN!" Rikki exclaimed as we reached the walkway.

"I let you," I said as I stopped next to her.

"Sure, sure," she laughed. "You just don't want to admit you got beat by a girl."

"I didn't; I got beat by you," I teased.

She whacked me with one of her flip flops and laughed. "Yeah, well, you're not so macho yourself, big guy."

We walked down the steps to the beach. After making sure the coast was clear she dove in and I after her. We swam a good ways out and were just treading water.

"Hey," I said. "Why did you bother changing? You ARE a mermaid."

"Yeah, a mermaid that can whack you with her tail. That's two strikes, pal. One more and you're out." She started floating on her back. "I don't want none o' your sass."

She closed her eyes and I got an idea. I grabbed at her arm and pulled. She jumped and up righted herself to see that it was just me.

"That's three!" she said as I laughed. And, true to her word, she whacked me with her tail.

"Hey, that hurt!" I said, still laughing.

Zane's POV

I shifted uncomfortably as I walked down the street towards the beach. Rikki and Will were down there. Just the two of them. You know how I said Will was making eyes at her? Well, to tell you the truth, I'm kinda scared he's making a move right now. I had been worrying about it ever since the restaurant. So I'm sure you can imagine that I wasn't too happy when Rikki told me they were going down to the beach together.

I mean, don't me wrong, I trust Rikki completely, it's just, I REALLY don't like Will.

Halfway through my walk I ran into them. They were laughing and walking close. And it bothered me. A lot.

Rikki's POV

As we started back towards the house Will towel snapped me.

"Hey!" I laughed. "What was that for?"

"Whacking me with your tail!"

"This. Means. War," I said, and we both laughed. He had got bored and watched Girls Just Want to Have Fun with me last night.

We were still laughing when we ran into Zane.

"Hey guys," he said. I couldn't read the expression on his face as he looked at us… But I don't think he was happy.

Will straightened up next to me and waved at him.

"Well, I'm going to head back. You guys go ahead and do…whatever," he said, walking away in the direction of the house.

Zane and I were silent. Once Will was out of sight he turned to me.

"So…what were you guys doing?" he said, making a face.

"Swimming," I replied simply. "What else?"

He shrugged and then we both kinda just looked around.

"Well….I guess I'm gonna head back," I said, pointing. "Are you coming or are you gonna go to the beach?"

He waved it away. "Nah. I was only going to go down there 'cause you were. But, what do you say we go out to dinner tonight? JUST you and me?" He grabbed my hand as we strolled.

I smiled. "Okay."


	8. A Kiss in the Rain

**A/N: Okay, so I decided to get things moving. Please review and tell me what you think! Sorry if it disappoints you. For anyone out there who reads Heartbroken, hopefully a new chapter of that will be up soon. Have a great day and please excuse any mistakes. xxHeartBrokenxx**

Rikki's POV

"Hey, Zane?" I said as I knocked on his bedroom door.

He opened it a moment later. "I know, I know. The date's canceled." He ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh.

"It's not my fault!" I said apologetically.

He laughed. "I'm not blaming you. Come here." He pulled me towards him and gave me a kiss. "We'll try again tomorrow."

I nodded and started walking away. He shut his door and I looked out one of the doors leading to a little balcony out front. The rain was really coming down. I let out a heavy sigh and headed upstairs. Empty. I stepped out onto the balcony, staying under the roof so the water didn't hit me. This sucked!

I heard the door slide open and shut on the other side, and then Will walked out, the rain soaking him. I stayed silent and watched him as he closed his eyes and smiled.

"That must be nice," I said, making him jump.

He whips around quickly, almost slipping on the slick wood. He smiles. "It must be nice being a mermaid."

I look up at the roof, biting my lip, my eyes smarting.

The next thing I knew he was right in front of me, making me look at him.

"Rikki?" he said, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"It's not fair, Will!" I burst. "I want to go out in the rain! I don't want have to cancel a date with my boyfriend and bee trapped inside just because it's raining! But I can't go out or I'll sprout a tail! I mean don't get me wrong, I love being a mermaid and all, but sometimes I just get so sick of it!" With every word I was getting more and more emotional until a few tears were actually sliding down my face. "And now I'm getting emotional over nothing! Look at me! I'm crying, Will, I'm crying! I NEVER cry!"

He looks at me a moment then pulls me into a hug. His strong arms are wrapped tightly around me and I'm crying into his shoulder.

"It's okay, Rikki," he said to me. "It must be hard. I'm sorry it's making you sad." He's silent a moment before he whispers into my ear, "Everybody needs to cry sometimes."

I look up at him and before I know what's happening I'm kissing him.

It's only when I heard the door slide open again that I snapped back to reality and realized what I was doing. We jumped apart and just looked at each other. Zane walked out and saw us.

"What are you guys doing out here?" he said.

"Just…looking at the rain," Will said.

"Looking at the rain?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Yep…. Well, I'm gonna go inside now."

After Will had made his departure Zane looked at me. "Just looking at the rain?"

"Yeah. We were just talking about how I wish I could go out in it without turning into a mermaid."

He was silent a moment then let out a deep sigh. "Rikki, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"Yeah, of course."


	9. Smacking and Smacking Back

**A/N: It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, here's a new chapter. Sorry for the forever wait. I hope you like it! Hopefully I'll have another one up soon. Please review and let me know what you think. Please excuse any mistakes, I didn't read it through. Have a great day! God bless. xxHeartBrokenxx**

Zane's POV

I mindlessly pace around the kitchen. It was empty upstairs; Rikki had just gone down to find the girls and Will had gone who-knows-where. I run a hand trough my hair. A few times throughout this vacation I have kinda felt like mine and Rikki's relationship is on the rocks…and like it has something to do with Will. I don't want to say anything for fear Rikki would think I will becoming controlling, but I don't really like them hanging out. It puts me on edge.

I shake myself out. I can trust Rikki. She's my girlfriend.

Will's POV

I look up at the dark ceiling, then at the clock on my beside table that reads _12:02am_. Back to the ceiling. My mouth is hanging open and I'm thinking about kissing Rikki. I had been thinking about it all day. As of right now I know two things: One, there's no way I'm going to be able to have feelings for Bella now. Two, everything just kind of sucks.

It sucks because it's not like I can just walk up to Rikki and say, "Hey, Rikki, I'm completely stuck on you. Will you go out with me?"

Well, I could, but not without getting rejected and my butt kicked. With a side of humiliation. Oh, and Bella would hate me. Even though I don't like her like _that_, I still want to be her friend. She's cool; but she's not Rikki.

I mentally slap myself, getting a stern look on my face and silently lecturing myself. I had to stop thinking this way. Rikki was taken, and I'm sure that's not going to change anytime soon…maybe never. For just a moment, I _really_ don't like Zane. But it's not his fault. It's not like he asked me to fall in love with his girlfriend. He would have asked me to do the _opposite_. Maybe I should just keep my distance from her for a while.

Thee next day I try to keep my space as best I can, and Rikki seems to be doing the same thing. At one point I try to catch her eye but she just _won't_ look at me. I guess that's for the best. When she and Zane go out on their date I relax but feel angry.

Rikki's POV

I stare off into space across the table, thinking about Will and our kiss. It was…ni- nothing. It was nothing…but nice.

I'm called back to the present when Zane snaps, saying, "Rikki. Rikki?"

I look at him, raising my eyebrows in question.

He looks at me oddly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

He shrugs then looks down thoughtfully for a few moments. When he looks back up there's desperation in his eyes as he says, "Rikki, did anything…_happen_ between you and Will yesterday? You know? On the deck? While it was raining? ….And you had tear stains on your face."

My back stiffens. "You saw those?"

He nods and looks down again, then back at me. "Did Will…?"

"Cause them? No. No way. He was actually…"

"Actually? Actually what?" He leans forward in his seat and it seems I've set him on edge.(No pun originally intended.)

"He was comforting me." _With his lips._

"Why did he need to comfort you?" Zane demands, his eyes growing more intense.

I look away, realizing I should have thought out my sentence better. "I was just…momentarily overwhelmed. That's all. Let's leave it alone."

"Rikki, you know I'm always here for you, right? You didn't think you only had _Will_ to turn to, did you?" he pushes.

He says Will's name like it's a disease and it really ticks me off. "He's not an illness, Zane, so don't talk about him like one," I snap. "He was out there and saw I needed some encouraging words. I don't need to go running to someone every time I get a little emotional, okay? I know you're there for me and I also happen to know that Will's a good guy. Don't talk smack if you don't even know what you're talking about."

He looks insulted and I can tell I've angered him as he spits back at me, "For your information I wasn't smack talking. And who made you my mother? I'll talk about Mr. Wonderful however I want. If you're so smitten with him and his _encouraging words_ maybe he should be the one in this chair."

I stand up indignantly and take long, swift steps to the restaurant door, pushing my way out into the warm evening breeze.

Zane's POV

I throw my napkin on the table and lean back in my chair, running a hand through my hair. I've completely blown it. I acted like a complete donkey and now all I've succeeded in is making Rikki furious with me…and I'm afraid I've hurt her.

I stand up quickly and make my way out of the building. She's standing outside, looking out at the setting sun with her back to me, arms crossed. I walk up behind her and say, "Rikki? I'm sorry. I shouldn't-"

"I want you to take me back to the house, Zane," she cuts me off, not turning around.

I want to wrap my arms around her and hold her, but something tells me she wouldn't appreciate that right now. So I try to coax her to come back into the restaurant instead. "I'm sorry, but I would really like if you came back inside. We haven't had dinner yet."

She still doesn't face me. "I'm not hungry anymore. I want to go back to the house."

"Rikki, please-"

She rounds on me angrily and shoves down my throat, "I said I'm not hungry. I want to got back to the house. You can drive me back or I'll walk, either way I'm leaving. Get the picture?"

"Yeah. I get the picture," I say coolly and motion towards the car. "Let's go, then."

The crosses her arms again as she crosses the parking lot and climbs into the car. I take a moment to gather myself and take a deep breath before I climb in. She's looking out the window and refuses to look over in my direction as I start to apologize again.

"Rikki, I'm sorry I said those things. I shouldn't have. Can-"

"Just drive, Zane. I'm not in the mood to talk."

"This is your problem. You don't give anyone a second chance or a chance to talk. I'm trying to _apologize_, sweetheart," I say as I pull out, giving her the condescending "sweetheart."

As she looks over at me I know it's about to get really heated.

"And your problem is everyone forgives you too easily! You've been spoiled your whole life. All you had to do was bat an eyelash and people would throw themselves at your feet. Did you ever think maybe I don't _want_ to forgive you? That I don't want to accept your 'apology'?" she shouts back at me.

I glance over and give her a disbelieving look. "Spoiled my whole life? Bat an eyelash? What are you talking about? Don't talk smack if you don't even know what you're talking about," I mock her unintentionally.

She glares at me a moment before looking at the window again. It's silent the rest of theca ride back. When I pull in the driveway and turn the car off I look over to her and say, "Rikki, I'm-"

She gets out and slams her door, walking to the side of the house and up the balcony stairs.

Rikki's POV

I make my way to the balcony stairs. I just have to make it to the top before I can let the tears that have been threatening to fall ever since Zane mocked me drop. They blur my vision as I hurry up the stairs. Once I at the top I curl against the wall and pull my knees to my chest, burying my face in them and sobbing.

I can't even pull myself together when I hear someone say, "Rikki?"

Will drops down next to me, placing one hand on my knee and the other on my head. "Rikki, are you okay?"

I look up at him, my face sticking to my hair, tears still rolling down my face and manage to say his name before my tears choke me out.

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his chest, stroking my hair whispering, "Sshh." repeatedly.

After a few minutes I settle into silent tears, leaning into him and closing my eyes. As he starts to loosen hi grip I whisper, "Don't let go." He squeezes me tighter and a new rush of tears comes rushing out.

"What's the matter, Rikki?" he inquires after a moment.

"Zane," I manage to force out in a whisper.

He pulls me closer, saying, "What happened?"

I just shake my head into his chest and he leaves it alone…for now.


	10. Whoa, Did You Just Do it Again?

**A/N: Here it is! Sorry for any mistakes. Sorry it took me so long to update, I've just been busy writing some other stuff. To everyone who called me out on the whole Will being wet thing in Chapter 8, you're totally right. I didn't even think about that, haha. I'll have at least one, hopefully more, new chapter(s) up soon. Review and let me know what you think. Thanks for all the other reviews! I hope this doesn't disappoint anyone! If you're actually reading this note, have a good day! And even if you're not reading it still have a good day! xxHeartBrokenxx**

Rikki's POV

Will hasn't asked me about last night yet, but I know he will. I mean, he found me crying on the balcony. _Me. _Of course he's going to want to know what happened.

Zane I haven't talked either…like, at all.

I get up and walk out of my cave-a.k.a. my room- and head upstairs. It's late morning and the sun is shining, somehow.

When I get into the living room Cleo's the only one there, and she looks like she's about to leave. She grabs a bottle of sunscreen from the counter and says, "Ready?"

"Ready for what?" I question.

"We're going go-karting. Everyone's waiting in the car."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess I'm ready. Let's go."

When we get there, everyone's partnering up and claiming a kart. I'm standing near one, all partnerless, and then Will comes up and stands next to me. We're silent, trying to ignore the look Bella and Zane are giving us.

We slide in and the worker guys starts telling us something, but I'm not really listening. And that's okay because I'm not the one driving.

He comes by and gets our karts going before we pull out. The sand's flying into my eyes and mouth as we tear through it. I close my eyes and mouth and am glad I'm not the one driving.

After a minute we stop and I wonder if we broke it.

I open my eyes and look at Will. "Did you do the wrong the thing or something?"

He chuckles and shakes his head. "Yeah, I did the wrong thing." It's silent before he continues, "The kart's fine. I stopped us on purpose. I wanted to know what Zane did wrong?"

I sigh; I knew this was coming.

"We just got it in a fight, that's all. It was stupid."

"You were pretty upset. Did he do something to start the fight?"

"Actually…we were arguing about…you." I can't look him in the eye as I say that.

Will's POV

"Me?" I say, taken aback. "You were fighting about me? What did I do wrong?"

She makes an angry noise and looks me dead in the eye. "What you did 'wrong' was give me some encouragement. You did something good, so in Zane's book it's wrong. Because he thinks just because some other guy does something nice for me I'm going leave him for that guy."

I feel a sinking feeling. I thought maybe she had felt the same way about me, but obviously not. "Oh."

"Don't just say, 'Oh.'" She crosses her arms.

"What am I supposed to say? Zane's a jerk." I shrug.

She laughs and I smile at the sound.

"See? That was better," she says.

I look over at her and swiftly move my head in, kissing her. After a moment I realize what I'm doing, but I'm less quick to pull away from her this time. And she's not jerking back, so that's a plus. When I do pull back I look in her eyes.

"How was that?" I say.

A little noise escapes her mouth and then she looks forward, talking a low voice, "We should probably start moving again."


	11. The Tussle and the Dream

**A/N: New chapter! That was fast, wasn't it? You guys know how it goes... Please excuse any mistakes, hopefully I'll have a new one up soon. And if you have the time and feel like it, please review! And my other story(Heartbroken) will be updated soon. Promise! Have a great day! xxHeartBrokenxx**

Zane's POV

As we're leaving the go-karting place, I'm glaring at Rikki. Her and Will had drifted away from each other after they got back from their ride. I'll bet you a hundred bucks something happened out there that made them get all awkward. And if that something was Will making a move on her… He's a dead man. And I think he knows it, too, because he hasn't looked at me since they got back.

When we get back to the house I grab her arm and pull her off to the side. She leans against the side of the house, holding one of her arms in the other, looking uncomfortable.

"Rikki," I start, trying not to sound too desperate. "is something going on between you and Will?"

She shakes her head, uneasy. "I'm just mad at you."

I close my eyes, thinking, _Yeah, same here._ But what I say is, "Look, I'm sorry I freaked out last night, but you know I love you, Rikki."

She laughs bitterly. "Yeah, but you don't trust me."

"I don't trust Will!" I exclaim, throwing my hands out.

That's when he comes around the corner and I almost explode. He reaches for Rikki, saying, "Come on, Rikki. I want to show you something."

Before he can touch her I slam my hands into his chest, shoving him back. "Get out of here, pretty boy!"

His face contorts with anger. "Don't push me!"

I laugh sourly. "What, that's all you've got?"

He pushes me a few steps backward and then I get REALLY mad. I swing my fist and catch him in the jaw. He steps back, bending down and holding his face. I only have one moment of satisfaction before he straightens up and looks at me with pure fury.

He's about to put a dent in me when Rikki steps between us, putting one hand on my chest and the other on his.

"Stop. Right now," she says. "Will, go back inside."

They look at each other for a moment before he turns around and walks up the stairs, huffing. Once he's gone she turns back to me. We look into each other's eyes in silence for a moment before she shakes her head and brushes past me towards the front.

When I finally come inside Lewis is sitting on the couch, looking at me curiously. He stands up and says, "Look, I know I wouldn't exactly be your first choose for a confidant, but if you want to talk about what happened out there, I'd be happy to listen."

"Who says something happened out there?"

"It's not that hard too figure it out, Zane. So…"

I sigh and then drop onto the couch. "Rikki and I keep fighting, and then Mr. Perfect swoops in and saves the day. I'm afraid I'm going to lose her, Lewis."

"To Who? Will?" he says, looking at me incredulously.

"Yeah."

"You think Rikki likes Will?"

"If she doesn't already I think she will soon." I have a bitter taste in my mouth.

Lewis sits down next to me. "I think you need to have more faith in her, Zane. She's _your_ girlfriend. And I think she loves you."

"Yeah, but it's not so hard to fall out of love, is it?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. I think if you guys just sit down and talk about whatever it is that's been making you fight, you'll be okay."

I sigh and close my eyes, putting my face in my hands for a minute. I stand up, saying, "Thanks Lewis."

"No problem."

Will's POV

I'm sitting on the edge of my bed, seething. Zane made me SO mad. All I was trying to do was get Rikki out of there so she didn't have to deal with him and he has to start a fight. Zane's an idiot.

Bella walks up and stops in my doorway, knocking on the doorframe. "Knock, knock. Can I come in?"

"Sure," I say, trying to control my voice.

"You okay?" she asks, doing a Bella voice. "You seem kind of angry."

"I am." It slips out before I can stop it.

"What happened?" she wonders.

"Nothing," I wave it away.

"Obviously it's something. Come on, I won't tell anyone."

"Zane's just annoying."

It's silent a moment before she looks me in the eyes and says, "Do you like Rikki, Will?"

"What? No, no," I reply, shaking my hands no.

She sort of lets out a sigh. "It just seemed like earlier… Whatever. So, you want to do something? Maybe go to the beach."

"Yeah, sure. I'll meet you outside in a minute."

She nods and exits the room. I bury my face in my hands, trying to rid myself of all the frustration I have. I don't like Zane, I want to date Rikki, and I don't really want to go to the beach. I pull myself up and change into my swim trunks. As I'm leaving the room I run into Rikki.

"Oh," I say, surprised, my irritation leaving me.

She looks at me shyly a moment before saying, "Thanks for earlier, Will, I know what you were trying to do. And I'm sorry about your face. Are you okay?"

I wave it away. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry for intruding; I just figured you didn't want to talk to Zane."

"Well, thanks, but I'll take care of it next time. I don't want you to get punched in the face again."

"Rikki, if you ever need my help with anything, don't hesitate to ask. Like, at all. Even if it means I get punched in the face."

She reaches up to my face, gently putting her fingers on the spot Zane punched. My breath catches and I have to close my eyes for a second.

She hurriedly pulls her hand away. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I say breathlessly.

She turns away and she's about to walk upstairs when I speak up, "I'm sorry, too, Rikki. For earlier. I just got caught up in the moment. I shouldn't have done that."

She looks back at me. "It's okay, Will. I know exactly how that is. Let's just forget about it." She walks upstairs and I stare at her helplessly.

_But I don't want to forget it…_


	12. The Fights Never End

**A/N: I'm back from the dead! for now at least ;) Hopefully it'll stay like that at least until I finish the story. Please excuse any mistakes and review! Enjoy. God bless you all! :) xxHeartbrokenxx **

Rikki's POV

I paced my room, my hands held to my mouth in the thinking position. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. What was I going to do? There I, Rikki Chadwick, might I remind you, was, caught between two loves. My boyfriend of _a really long time_, and my best friend's crush. And you're probably sitting there like, "uh, the choice is kind of obvious…" but it WASN'T.

I loved kissing Zane, but when I kissed Will it felt…different. Butterflies erupted in my stomach, my heart jumped to my throat.

I started at a knock on my door. I took a moment to compose myself before crossing the room and opening it.

Zane was leaning against the door frame, looking at me sheepishly. "Can I come in?"

I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrows at him. "Why should I let you in?"

"'Cause we need to talk."

"Talk about what?" I laughed bitterly, crossing my arms. "You're anger management problems?"

I could tell by the look on his face that he was about to light into me. He opened his mouth, then closed it, taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes. After a moment he looked at me, trying hard to keep his composure. "I don't want to fight, Rikki. I just want to talk about this like rational people."

I continued to glare at him. Maybe I didn't want to be rational. "Since when have we been rational, Zane?"

He took another deep breath, rubbing his face. "Please, Rikki."

I put my arms out questioningly. "Fine. What do you want to talk about, Zane? Our failing relationship?"

He stood up straight, his expression and manner becoming cold. "Fine Rikki. Whatever; I don't want to talk anymore." He turned his back and started walking away.

My stomach dropped as I watched him walk down the stairs. "Zane, wait!"

"There's nothing to wait for anymore, Rikki," he called to me, not bothering to stop his descent.

I felt like I had just got punched in the stomach, the wind knocked out of me. I shut my door and slid down against the wall, pulling my knees to my chest. I held my head in my hands, staring at the wall, thinking about everything that had just happened. Had Zane and I just broken up?

I sighed, feeling relieved and heavy hearted all at the same time. Is that what I wanted, to be broken up? I loved Zane. Didn't I?

I stood quickly, slamming my fist against the wall. Which was it?! I wanted to scream until my lungs fell off. I yanked my bedroom door open and stomped up the stairs. In true life form, Will was the one standing in the kitchen. He started to smile when he saw me, sending my heart into a frenzy.

I squashed the feeling. I didn't have time for that right now.

"Have you seen Zane?" I questioned him.

His smile vanished. "He said he was going to the beach. He looked pretty upset. Is everything all right?"

"Sometimes I wish you would stop asking that, Will," I said.

He looked hurt as I stepped out the balcony door and hurried down the stairs, making my way to the beach_. _


	13. Like Rational People

**A/N: BOOM! Quick, wasn't it? Again, please excuse any mistakes. Reviews would be awesome. Enjoy. God bless. xxHeartBrokenxx **

Rikki's POV

I stopped short in the sand at the sight of Zane. He had his back to me, looking out the water with his hands in his pockets. I called his name and he turned around, giving me a disappointed look before turning back around.

I walked up to him and grabbed his shoulder, making him face me.

"Don't look at me like that," I said.

"How do you want me to look at you Rikki?" he laughed sadly.

I looked at the ground, clasping and unclasping my hands.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"We need to talk about this like rational people."

He smiled ruefully before saying, "Hit me."

I took a deep breath and let it out shakily. "Did we just break up back at the house?"

He shrugged. "You tell me."

"Is that what you want?"

He let out a dejected laugh then looked at me with a mix of sorrow and anger. "What do you think I want, Rikki? I love you. Of course I don't want to break up. I thought we were on the same page, but obviously things have changed."

"Zane, I…" I trailed off, looking out at the waves.

He grabbed my hands firmly and looked deep into my eyes. "What do _you_ want?"

I shook my head woefully, tears smarting my eyes. "I don't know. I don't know what I want anymore."

He loosened his grip on my hands to the point where he almost dropped them. "That wasn't what I wanted to hear."

"I know. I'm sorry. But I think we need to be honest with each other."

He took a step back from me and put his hands in his pockets. It almost broke my heart.

He looked at me questioningly. "What do we do, Rikki?"

I shrugged. "You tell me."

"Do give it another try? Try to fix all this." He dropped his voice and looked at the ground. "Whatever's left of it, anyway."

"Don't say that," I said, my voice catching.

His eyes glistened when he looked at me. "I don't want to, Rikki. I'm just being honest."

"I-I'm gonna walk. I need some time to think. I'll see you later," I said, turning and walking back up the walkway and to the road.

I breathed heavily as I walked, trying to process everything. It was too much.

I didn't want it to be over, but I didn't want to keep going.


End file.
